Sharing the stories that shape us
When you want a team to get to know each other, one of the fastest ways to build trust is through story. Not the polished, corporate kind, but the human stories that sit just below the waterline: the curveballs, the pivots, the moments that shape how we lead.
Two weeks ago I ran a half‑day session for Sally Croft’s leadership team during their offsite in the Surrey Hills. The brief was to help an eight‑strong, pan‑European team get to know one another. Two of them had never met anyone in person before.
I’d set them some homework in advance: come ready to share a story about a curveball moment from your work or personal life. Not a success story. A moment of adversity, and what it taught you. I wanted everyone to share what they learned from a challenging experience and how they grew as a result of it.
Growth mindset is a priority in so many organisations right now, and for good reason. When leaders talk honestly about how they’ve grown - not just what they’ve achieved - something powerful happens. The vibe in the room shifts. People respond differently.
On Monday afternoon as each executive shared their story, accompanied by a chosen image, the atmosphere changed. In every story, we learned something important about how that person navigates adversity.
I’ve facilitated dozens of sessions like this over the years, but I’m still humbled every time by the speed at which a group transforms when real stories are shared.
We closed the afternoon with a ‘walking safari’ in small groups, getting out into the local environment to explore and chat further. The team used conversation cards to deepen the dialogue. When everyone reconvened in the hotel lounge at the end of the day to reflect, it was wonderful to see laughter, openness, ease - the change in energy was unmistakable. It was the kind of natural rapport you’d expect from a team that had worked together for years, not one that had only met that morning.
That’s the power of storytelling.
It accelerates trust.
It humanises leadership.
It turns a group of individuals into a team.
And I love creating the conditions for the magic to happen.